PayTech


PayU acquires India’s Citrus Pay for $130m

PayU has bought Citrus Pay for $130 million – the “largest ever M&A cash deal” in India’s fintech space. The deal is part of PayU’s growth plans and it claims its number of customers in India will grow to more than 30 million, processing a forecasted 150 million transactions in 2016 worth a combined $4.2 […]

Harmonising high-value payments

While it sounds like something for which you’d need to visit a doctor, Swift’s HVPS+ will likely be a talking point during the payments industry panels at this month’s Sibos. Announced in mid-August, the high-value payments system task force is an important component of Swift’s ISO 20022 harmonisation initiative. A number of central banks, market infrastructures and banks from around the world are members of the task force.

New NAB mobile banking app feast for control freaks

National Australia Bank (NAB) will launch a new mobile banking app later this year – which promises to give customers more control over how, when and where they use their cards. The new app will include card transaction controls to self-manage personal Visa debit and credit cards through a mobile device. And, in an “Australian […]

Android Pay gets four UK OKs

Natwest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander and Ulster Bank have all launched on Android Pay in the UK today (13 September), with TSB “coming soon”. The development follows hot on the heels from last week, when US-based Chase Bank customers were able to add their eligible Chase Visa cards to Android Pay. The cards include […]

Facebook Messenger Enables Payments by Chat Bot

Facebook Messenger platform updates announced Sept. 12 have enabled chat bots to accept payments, meaning Messenger users now can make payments within Messenger threads and not have to leave the app. Facebook says it has 1 billion users in 200 countries who use Messenger monthly, and developers and businesses have built more than 30,000 bots for the app.

Apple Warns of Gift Card Scam

Apple is warning consumers that fraudsters are using iTunes gift cards in a scam to trick victims into making payments over the phone. In a notice posted on its Website, Apple said the scam involves victims being called and then being pressured to transfer money over the phone to pay for a bogus claim of an unpaid bill or debt, or a relative who needs to be bailed out of jail.

Mastercard Hit with U.K. Interchange Damage Claim

Mastercard faces a £14 billion claim ($18.6 billion) in the U.K. over interchange fees in a case filed with the country’s Competition Appeal Tribunal. The claim comes two years after the European Union labeled the interchange charged by the payment card network as unfair. European interchange caps went into effect in December of 2015.

FFEIC Updates its Information Security Guides

The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council has revised the “Information Security” booklet of the agency’s FFIEC Information Technology Examination Handbook.

Visa Rolls Out Red Carpet for Payments Innovation

Visa is offering a glimpse into the future of commerce during the Toronto International Film Festival, running until Sept. 18. In its 20th year sponsoring the festival, Visa is offering festival-goers access to a first-of-its-kind Connected Screen, powered by Ingenico, along with an “immersive virtual shopping experience” that enables them to virtually try on and purchase clothing from a film’s wardrobe department.

Facebook Messenger v1.2 enables native payments in chatbots

Facebook has announced its Messenger bots can now accept payments natively, without redirecting users to external sites. The announcement was made by David Marcus, head of Facebook Messenger, at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco, as he unveiled the launch of the Messenger platform v1.2.

Dodd-Frank Overhaul Plan Goes before Financial Services Committee

The House Financial Services Committee will meet Sept. 13 to mark up a bill that would overturn major provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. Initially proposed in June by Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), the Financial CHOICE Act would strip significant authority away from the CFPB, renaming it the Consumer Financial Opportunity Commission and tasking the agency with the dual mission of protecting consumers and ensuring competitive markets.

PCI Council Updates Payment Device Standard to Keep Up with Criminals

In an effort to thwart advanced attacks by criminals, the PCI Security Standards Council has released updated specifications to protect cardholder data stored on mag stripe and EMV chip cards when used at ATMs, in-store and unattended payment terminals and mobile devices.

Allevo’s FinTP gets SEPA compliant for EximBank

Allevo’s open source application, FinTP, is now SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) compliant for EximBank (Export-Import Bank of Romania). The FinTP collaboration between state-owned EximBank and Allevo started one year ago, when the bank chose to implement the solution for low-value Euro payment instructions. EximBank now takes the partnership “one step further with the implementation of […]

The global economy, brought to you by APIs

The Brexit unrest aside, Europe is taking initiatives to make a sounder, more user-friendly economic landscape. By using technology solutions and digital innovation, the European Union (EU) is encouraging greater transparency, usability and higher standards of security for all manner of web-based banking and financial transactions. Irrespective of any governmental re-organisation, and the trickled-down impact […]

Fundflow and Wirecard launch invoice discounting platform for SMEs

Wirecard and fintech start-up Fundflow have launched an invoice discounting platform for SMEs in Germany. The firms say that SMEs and freelancers can sell their outstanding invoices on the Fundflow website, which then enables refinancing with institutional investors. Wirecard Bank has provided its German banking licence and will handle the payment process. Joachim Kaune, MD […]

Chase Bank chooses Android Pay for payments

It’s expansion time for Android as it reveals that US-based Chase Bank customers can now add their eligible Chase Visa cards to Android Pay. The cards include Freedom, Slate, Sapphire, United Mileage Explorer and Hyatt Credit Card. On top of this American development, in the UK, Android says Santander and TSB customers “will soon be […]

Top fintech stories this week – 9 September 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Barclays and Wave pioneer blockchain trade finance transaction What is a fintech day without blockchain? UK challenger banks: who’s who The list has been updated. US credit union consortium plots blockchain use Watch out R3. Smile and an […]

CFPB Levees Record $100 Million Fine on Wells Fargo

The CFPB on Sept. 8 announced a $100 million fine against Wells Fargo for what the agency called “widespread unlawful sales practices.” The agency said the fine is the largest such penalty it has ever issued.

MasterCard faces £19bn lawsuit over inflated card charges

Priceless? Not this time. MasterCard is facing a £19 billion lawsuit (which now has been reduced to £14 billion and filed, as of 8 September 2016) – the biggest in UK legal history – in a collective action over card charges that were passed on to shoppers. The claim is headed by ex-financial services ombudsman […]

FTR 2015 – EU regulation with global impact

What is FTR 2015 and how does it affect banks operating in the cross-border payments space? Marc Recker, Head of Market Management, Institutional Cash Management at Deutsche Bank, explores. The challenges and complexities of complying with anti-money laundering (AML) and counter terrorist financing (CFT) regulations are certainly not new in the financial industry. Over the past […]

N.Y. DOL Issues Strongly Opposed Final Rule on Payroll Cards

A New York Department of Labor (DOL) rule that has been bitterly opposed by a major prepaid card association is being implemented anyway. The N.Y. DOL has issued its final rule regulating methods and payment of wages, including the use of payroll cards, in the state and includes no substantive changes from its second revised proposal in June.

Android Pay Adds Chase, Apple Pay Coming to Japan

Two of the leading mobile payments services made significant moves on Sept. 7, with Android Pay adding support for more payment cards in the U.S. and U.K. and launching on the mobile Web, while Apple announced it will bring Apple Pay to Japan in October.

Monitise turns corner in profit quest

UK-based payments vendor Monitise is beginning to turn its fortunes around – with a 45% reduction in operating costs and EBITDA profitability of £600,000 in the second half of the year. As Banking Technology reported in May, the firm brought in a new COO and a new, re-focused business structure. It seems the initiatives have […]

CBA and Barclays partner for Australia-UK mobile payments “first”

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and Barclays have joined forces to let their retail customers move money between Australia and the UK with “just a mobile number”. In a “first between the two countries”, CBA and Barclays say they have worked to connect each of their payment apps together – CBA’s CommBank and Barclays’ Pingit. […]

Finding the Future of Fintech

The term “fintech” has long been tied to the idea of disrupting the existing financial services industry. Although that spirit remains, Discover sees a maturation of the market and a growing realization from investors and startups that there is a greater value in collaborating with the industry rather than trying to supplant it.

Banking Technology Awards 2016 – shortlist unveiled

Our rejuvenated Banking Technology Awards have received an unprecedented amount of entries this year – from banks, financial institutions, fintech firms and individuals worldwide – and we are happy to reveal the shortlisted candidates. Now in their 17th year, Banking Technology Awards recognise and reward excellence and innovation in the use of IT in financial […]

Swift admits attacks are “here to stay” – so what can banks do?

There’s a cultural misconception that security equals lockdown in the financial sector; disclosure runs counter to that perception. Banks are less inclined to share intimate details of attacks because they don’t want to damage market confidence and that makes cyber security a major challenge for the sector. Swift has recently sent a letter out to customers […]

Rash of Email Fraud Schemes Prompt FinCEN to Issue Advisory

A spate of email fraud schemes involving stolen consumer information and financial institutions being duped into conducting wire transfers has prompted the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to issue an advisory Sept. 6 in an effort to thwart the illegal activity.

Executive Profile: One on One with Sam Shrauger, Visa

Discovering the secrets of the universe may not be part of Sam Shrauger’s day job, but exploring what’s possible in payments is. As senior vice president of digital solutions at Visa Inc., Shrauger is responsible for making sure the payments network is leading the charge into new territory—whether that’s through Visa Checkout, contactless payments, wearables or whatever comes next.